Tagg examines the history of the use of photographs as documentary images, in courtrooms, hospitals, and police work, on passports, permits, and licenses. Rejecting the idea of photography as a record of reality, Tagg traces a previously unexamined history that includes the meaning, status, and effects of photographs.

“This is an important book by a scholar of international stature. Tagg at once ‘practices’ art history, via his several essays on photography, while at the same time he critiques the disciplinary apparatus by which this can be done. Consistently brilliant, attractive, and compelling.” --Richard Leppert